Centering stories of marginalized communities through programming of underrepresented composers with a roster of underrepresented singers
Tenors
Nathan Small is currently going into his senior year at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, where he is studying Mechanical Engineering. He is currently interning at Southland Industries and hopes to start a career as a Design Engineer after graduation. Nathan has been singing in choirs since childhood, and has been a member of the Monte Vista Chamber Singers, Monte Vista Barbershop, and the chamber choir at Cal Poly. He has been singing with Choral Audacity since 2018. His hobbies include baking, cycling, and ultimate frisbee.
Filo Ebid is a singer/actor currently studying Vocal Performance at the University of the Pacific. He has ventured into many genres throughout his musical journey, ranging from pop and R&B to opera. His voice has taken him across the country to perform solo and as part of choral and musical theater ensembles. He was cast in many musicals and theater productions during high school and toured with his school choir in Los Angeles and New York. His roles have included Shrek in Shrek the Musical, Teen Angel in Grease, and Tom Collins in Rent, and has performed songs from popular musicals such as Dear Evan Hansen, Les Miserables, and Hamilton.
Filo is known locally as a solo artist, performing at churches and open-mics around the East Bay and Stockton. To date, his most significant accomplishment is a solo performance at the Choirs of America Festival in Carnegie Hall. He has also formed his own ensemble at his church, teaching the congregation musicianship and arranging classics to fit their capabilities. Currently venturing into songwriting and collaborations with his peers on original music, Filo is presently in the process of developing several exciting new projects. He is very excited to be part of another project with Darita Seth and this amazing ensemble and hopes you enjoy this concert.
SETH MIJARES is currently a second year student at Chabot College where he is studying music under Ken Rawdon. He graduated from Mt. Eden High School in 2018 where he was in Concert, Chambers, and Show Choir. During his time at Mt. Eden he was able to go many places from Southern California to New York. Because of Mt. Eden he was able to meet the director of Choral Audacity. Seth has spent his whole life in Hayward and has grown up to be a very dashing young man. Right now he is a barista at ShareTea and a front desk at Marriott. On his free time he likes to indulge on playing games and being out and about with friends. Seth’s plan for the future is to one day be on Broadway.
David Pulanco is a transfer student from Las Positas College to CSU Fullerton working on his BA in Music Education with an emphasis on voice. Throughout his musical journey he has been part of a number of ensembles, most notably Chanticleer's Louis A. Botto Choir in San Francisco and Cantabella Children's Chorus in Livermore. He currently works as a cantor and accompanist at Saint Augustine Church in Pleasanton. Besides singing, he studies jazz piano and enjoys playing folk music on accordion and guitar.
Caleb Castaneda is excited to return to sing with Choral Audacity and Darita. He is currently taking a break from school to serve on his church’s worship team at Castro Valley First Baptist helping with the A/V team, playing bass and singing. Outside of worship team, he works at Fedex in Oakland and enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He hopes to return to school to major in music to further his interest as an audiologist.
Brandon Sheih is an upcoming senior studying computer science at UC Santa Cruz. Since age 8, he has been singing choral music from being in Ragazzi Boys Chorus to singing in the choirs at Monte Vista High School and now being a part of Choral Audacity once again. He is thrilled to be apart of this ensemble and thanks Darita for this amazing opportunity.
With his choral experience first beginning in 2nd grade, Jose Lopez has found a sort of comfort and solace in choirs and music alike. Having been a recent CVHS graduate, he was a part of their choral program for all four years. His time there consisted of one year in Vocal Ensemble and three in Madrigals. Currently, he has aspirations of becoming a social studies major and is an incoming freshman at Diablo Valley College. This being Jose’s first-ever project with Choral Audacity, he awaits with anxious excitement.